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WINNIPEG – For Rashad Evans, it was a welcome relief to look optimistically into the future instead of lingering on the past.

It had been fourteen months since Evans lost a championship grudge match to friend-turned-foe Jon Jones, and four months since an uninspiring loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira that had many – including Evans’ boss – questioning whether he still had the desire to compete. But on Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 161, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship title holder showed that when he’s right, he’s still among the best in the business.

Evans (18-3-1) survived a first-round knockdown against UFC legend Dan Henderson (29-10) to earn a split decision in the UFC 161 main attraction in front of a record-breaking sold-crowd of 14,754 at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre in Winnipeg. All three judges scored the match 29-28, with two giving the nod to the former light heavyweight champion Evans.

“I’d like to get back to where I was and where I can be, going out there being spectacular every single night,” said Evans at the post-fight press conference.

Coming into the night on the first two-fight losing streak of his career, Evans knew the stakes were high. A loss would have made another title bout in the 205-pound division a long shot, not to mention what a third-straight defeat would have done for his teetering confidence.

“I was a little bit more anxious going into the fight, for sure,” admitted Evans, ranked No. 6 in UFC’s official division rankings.

“But once you get out there, you start going around and getting hit, and once a fight starts and happens, it just blurs together. You go with the momentum of the fight.”

UFC president Dana White appeared genuinely happy that for Evans, noting their history together goes back nearly a decade, to the second season of The Ultimate Fighter. As UFC has grown into a billion-dollar company, Evans has been one of its biggest stars.

“Tonight was a good night for Rashad because Rashad needed to get his head back in the game, physically, mentally, emotionally – everything,” said White.

“Tonight was a good confidence booster for him, hopefully.”

Henderson, a former world champion in the PRIDE and Strikeforce promotions and a UFC 17 middleweight tournament winner, floored Evans with a jab and had him reeling in the first round but couldn’t land the knockout blow. The second round was decided by a razor-thin margin, as both fighters scored in the round but Evans managed a few more combinations and also a couple of takedowns. Evans got the better of the third round, much of which was contested in the clinch against the cage, landing multiple combinations and dropping Henderson briefly on one occasion.

“Dan Henderson’s a very tough opponent. He takes a hell of a punch and he gives a hell of a punch,” said Evans.

He admitted he “didn’t know what happened” after Henderson’s first-round attack but was able to gather his senses. Henderson said he had “nobody to blame but myself” for not finishing the fight then and giving Evans the second chance.

“I left it up to the judges again,” said Henderson, who has now lost by split decision in back-to-back contests. “That third round I slowed down. I should have been more active.”

Henderson was also coming off a disappointing loss, falling to Machida in February in a match he felt Machida spent much of the time running. Henderson had no such complaints about Evans.

Evans acknowledged the new contenders in the light heavyweight division. Over the past five years, he, Henderson, Quinton Jackson, Mauricio Rua and Lyoto Machida have dominated the weight class. Now, the likes of Jones, Alex Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira and others are taking over. Evans says he is excited about the new challenges and fresh faces.

“The landscape has changed. It’s pretty tough,” he said. “I’ve got to make some adjustments to my game if I’m going to be dominant … I just want to fight and enjoy myself.”

The night was a success at the box office, according to Dana White. He said the live gate for UFC 161 was $3.15 million, shattering the MTS Centre record of $1.8 million previously set by a Rolling Stones concert.

In other pay-per-view matches at UFC 161:

* The future of Roy Nelson (20-8) is up in the air, after rising heavyweight prospect Stipe Miocic (10-1) upset the popular ‘Big Country’ with a dominant performance in the co-main event.

Nelson, on the last fight of his UFC contract after recently turning down an extension, was beaten to the punch at every turn by Miocic, who was given unanimous 30-27 scores. As popular as Nelson is with the fans, he and Dana White have rarely seen eye-to-eye. White has criticized Nelson about everything from his Santa Claus-like beard to his round belly to his outspoken nature.

Nelson is expected to receive a contract offer from both UFC and the No. 2 promotion in the sport, Bellator. “We’ll sit down and talk to him again after this,” said White.

Jimmo admitted afterwards that he fought cautiously, coming off a loss, choosing to grind out a win rather that stand and bang.

“I hurt him in the first round but I couldn’t follow up. I wish I had because it wasn’t a great fight,” said Jimmo.

* She fought to the point of exhaustion but the result was it worth it for Alexis Davis (13-5). Competing in the first UFC women’s bout in Canada, the Port Colborne, Ont. native scored a unanimous decision over British MMA pioneer Rosi Sexton (13-3) in a women’s bantamweight contest.

“I’m so tired I can barely speak. The adrenaline dump I got when Bruce Buffer said my name was awesome,” said Davis, who was given scores of 29-28, 29-27 and 29-28.

“The fight was what I expected. It was a tough fight. She’s not one to give up.”

* Friendship is friendship, but business is business. Shawn Jordan (15-4) took care of business against friend Pat Barry (8-6), knocking him out just 59 seconds into their heavyweight bout.

“I came here with a job to do and I did it,” said Jordan, who dropped Barry with an uppercut and finished him with 11 unanswered shots. “It’s a huge victory. It’s bittersweet because it’s Pat, but that’s our job.”

In preliminary bouts at UFC 161:

* Former title contender Jake Shields (28-6-1, 1 NC) was awarded a split decision over Tyron Woodley (11-2) in a welterweight contest. Two judges scored the match 29-28 for Shields, while the third gave Woodley a 30-27 nod.

“I was more aggressive, even though our two styles sort of cancelled each other out,” said Shields.

* James Krause (20-4) made his UFC debut a memorable one, locking in a guillotine choke at 4:47 of the third round to submit popular London, Ont. native Sam Stout (20-9-1) in a lightweight bout.

“I thought I was ahead on the scorecards but fighting a Canadian hero who has been with the UFC all these years and had all these great fights, I had to do better than that,” said Krause.

It was the first time Stout had been submitted in a match since June 2006, when he lost to former title challenger Kenny Florian.

* Toronto’s Sean Pierson (14-6) survived an onslaught in the third round to claim a majority decision over Kenny Robertson (12-3) in a welterweight match. Two judges scored the match 29-28 for Pierson while the third judge had the contest 28-28, giving Robertson a 10-8 third round.

“I hurt him a few times in the first but I couldn’t keep it going,” said Pierson.

“He hurt me good in the last round. I can’t remember what he hit me with, and he controlled it on the ground for longer than I wanted. But I won and I can get better from here.”

“That was grueling,” said Delorme, who received unanimous 29-28 scores. “I’ve worked my on my submission defense and I needed that tonight.”

* Dropping to his knees in tears of joy, Saskatoon native Mitch Clarke (10-2) earned a unanimous decision over John Maguire (18-6) in a lightweight match. Clarke, coming off major knee surgery and two losses to start his UFC career, was given 29-28 scores from all three judges.

“This is a very emotional night for me. It doesn’t seem real, like a dream come true,” said Clarke.

* Montreal’s Yves Jabouin (19-8) battled to a split decision victory over Dustin Pague (11-9) in a bantamweight opener. “The difference was the damage I did when I was on top. I landed a ton of hard elbows and I thought I was a shot or two away from finishing it,” said Jabouin.

FIGHT NOTES: $50,000 bonus cheques were given to Stout and Krause for fight of the night, Jordan for knockout of the night, and Krause for submission of the night.

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UFC 161: Evans earns split decision over Henderson

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